God & Savior

Ecclesiastes 2:21

When there is a man who has labored with wisdom, knowledge, and skill, and he must give his portion to a man who has not worked for it, this too is futile and a great evil.
Ecclesiastes 2:21
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Original language and places

Reference data from open datasets, shown as published by their sources. Word-by-word English is a literal guide, not a translation.

Original language (Hebrew)

כִּי־יֵ֣שׁ אָדָ֗ם שֶׁעֲמָל֛וֹ בְּחָכְמָ֥ה וּבְדַ֖עַת וּבְכִשְׁר֑וֹן וּלְאָדָ֞ם שֶׁלֹּ֤א עָֽמַל־בּוֹ֙ יִתְּנֶ֣נּוּ חֶלְק֔וֹ גַּם־זֶ֥ה הֶ֖בֶל וְרָעָ֥ה רַבָּֽה׃

  1. כִּי־ki-“if”
    Particle · from כִּי · “for” · Strong's H3588A
  2. יֵ֣שׁyesh“there”
    Adjective, cardinal number, both genders, singular, absolute · from יֵשׁ · “there” · Strong's H3426
  3. אָדָ֗ם'a.Dam“[was] a person”
    Noun, masculine, singular, absolute · from אָדָם · “man” · Strong's H0120G
  4. שֶׁעֲמָל֛וֹshe.'a.ma.Lo“who toil his”
    Particle, relative + Noun, both genders, singular, construct + Suffix, pronominal, 3rd person, masculine, singular · from עָמָל · “trouble” · Strong's H5999
  5. בְּחָכְמָ֥הbe.cha.khe.Mah“[was] with wisdom”
    Preposition + Noun, feminine, singular, absolute · from חׇכְמָה · “wisdom” · Strong's H2451
  6. וּבְדַ֖עַתu.ve.Da.'at“and with knowledge”
    Conjunction + Preposition + Noun, feminine, singular, absolute · from דַּ֫עַת · “knowledge” · Strong's H1847
  7. וּבְכִשְׁר֑וֹןu.ve.khish.Ron“and with skill”
    Conjunction + Preposition + Noun, masculine, singular, absolute · from כִּשְׁרוֹן · “skill” · Strong's H3788
  8. וּלְאָדָ֞םu.le.'a.Dam“and to a person”
    Conjunction + Preposition + Noun, masculine, singular, absolute · from אָדָם · “man” · Strong's H0120G
  9. שֶׁלֹּ֤אshe.Lo'“who not”
    Particle, relative + Particle, negative · from לֹא · “not” · Strong's H3808
  10. עָֽמַל־'a.mal-“he toiled”
    Verb, qal, perfect, 3rd person, masculine, singular · from עָמַל · “to toil” · Strong's H5998
  11. בּוֹ֙bo“in <the> it”
    Preposition with article + Suffix, pronominal, 3rd person, masculine, singular · from Os3m · “him” · Strong's H9033
  12. יִתְּנֶ֣נּוּyi.te.Ne.nu“he will give it”
    Verb, qal, imperfect, 3rd person, masculine, singular + Suffix, pronominal, 3rd person, masculine, singular · from נָתַן · “put” · Strong's H5414H
  13. חֶלְק֔וֹchel.Ko“portion his”
    Noun, masculine, singular, construct + Suffix, pronominal, 3rd person, masculine, singular · from חֵ֫לֶק · “portion” · Strong's H2506A
  14. גַּם־gam-“also”
    Adverb · from גַּם · “also” · Strong's H1571
  15. זֶ֥הzeh“this”
    Particle, demonstrative · from זֶה · “this” · Strong's H2088
  16. הֶ֖בֶלHe.vel“[is] futility”
    Noun, masculine, singular, absolute · from הֶ֫בֶל · “vanity” · Strong's H1892
  17. וְרָעָ֥הve.ra.'Ah“and an evil”
    Conjunction + Noun, feminine, singular, absolute · from רָעָה · “evil” · Strong's H7451I
  18. רַבָּֽה׃ra.Bah“great”
    Adjective, feminine, singular, absolute · from רַב · “many” · Strong's H7227A
  • Hebrew and Aramaic words: STEP Bible (STEPBible.org), based on work at Tyndale House, Cambridge. CC BY 4.0. Source (version ed476a8)